Delete file from SFTP

I successfully created a workflow that downloads a file from SFTP. After processing the file I want to delete the version on the SFTP site. I copied my download workflow and changed the HTTP Action to DELETE. I add some screenshots of my workflow and some of the settings. When I run the workflow I get no error messages but the file is not deleted. I looked for a solution in the Community but can only find mentions of up- and download problems. Anyone solved this yet?Workflow

Input from Excel

Download Configuration

Settings

Download

Accepted answers

patrick_mcauliffe

Try this:

Only pass the URL field to the Download tool.

In the Download tool

Option tab one (Basic)

URL field: URL (Check box to encode URL)

Output to a Field: String

Option tab two (Headers)

No changes

Option tab three (Payload)

HTTP Action: Delete

Radio button should be selecting "Compose Query String/Body" with no other options set.

Option tab four (Connection)

Enter credentials if you need to

That should set the request up the way you need it.

All comments

patrick_mcauliffe

Are you downloading and deleting all in a single download tool?

HeinL

No. I have a workflow for the download. Then some workflows in between to do some data work and loading to SQL and only then do I do the delete in a different workflow with a different download tool. I do this to make sure that the file is not broken after I have done all the other things.

patrick_mcauliffe

@HeinL

What are the other configuration options you used in the Download tool that performs the DELETE?

HeinL

The screenshots in my original post show all the configuration options I have changed. Everything else was left as is. I changed nothing in the Headers tab. I added my username and password in the Connection tab and left the Maximum Connections as 1 and Timeout as 0.

In the Input Tool I just specify the SFTP site and file.

patrick_mcauliffe

Have you tried to uncheck the box "Encode URL Text"?

HeinL

Tried it just now. It does nothing. These are the messages I get (I am just masking some things like servers etc.):

File_Output: Download (45): \\servername\folder\all_customers.txt | Data Downloaded to \\server\folder\all_customers.txt

End: Designer x64: Finished running Delete FTP File.yxmd in 1:22 minutes

patrick_mcauliffe

I don't have an SFTP I can test with at the moment; so I admit this is just a guess... have you tried to change your output (tab one, basic configuration) to a string field instead of a file?

If that fails, then I'd be interested to know if there is a tool that you can successfully delete the file with.

If you can successfully delete the file with another tool (and therefore not a permissions issue); I would do that with Fiddler open and confirm you have all of the elements set up the same way in Alteryx.

HeinL

So I figured out how to use Fiddler :-). This is the error message I get:

DELETE /Folder/all_customers_201510.txt?sftp://sftp.intranet/Folder/all_customers_201510.txt HTTP/1.1

The URL I supply looks like this:

sftp://sftp.intranet/Folder/all_customers_201510.txt

It looks like Alteryx adds the first bit and then the SFTP site does not understand it. I am no expert but I think it should read:

DELETE sftp://sftp.intranet/Folder/all_customers_201510.txt

Tried various ways to get Alteryx to read it as such but I am not successful.

patrick_mcauliffe

Try this:

Only pass the URL field to the Download tool.

In the Download tool

Option tab one (Basic)

URL field: URL (Check box to encode URL)

Output to a Field: String

Option tab two (Headers)

No changes

Option tab three (Payload)

HTTP Action: Delete

Radio button should be selecting "Compose Query String/Body" with no other options set.

Option tab four (Connection)

Enter credentials if you need to

That should set the request up the way you need it.

anthony

It is my understanding that the DL tool uses CURL, which means you would need to pass additional parameters for curl to know what to do other than your typical http request.

Here is a random site that shows SFTP examples.

http://www.dotnet-tutorial.com/articles/curl/how-to-use-curl-command-line-tool-with-ftp-and-sftp

I have seen workflows where people just use Command tool and directly pass curl parameters so they have more control since the DL tool seems to be limited.

I have been using WINSCP command line option for SFTP since I have to SSH and it works well but requires figuring out their scripts and fingerprint.

HeinL

Hi Anthony

I am trying our suggestion. It will take a bit of fiddling but I think it can work.

Thanks.

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